Wait a minute, where is my master?

"What price?"

Emperor Xia Xuanmin looked at him with a chuckle, asking with a smile. It seemed he hadn't snapped out of the joy of familial bliss just yet.

The rotund monk had no reservations.

As per usual, he stepped forward, took a Spirit Fruit from the Dragon Bookcase, and bit into it, juice splattering everywhere.

Only then did he reply with a grin, "Give me half of the Dragon Energy of your Great Xia's national fate, and I'll tell you."

"Heh, get out."

Emperor Xia Xuanmin's smile faded, returning to his usual stern demeanor.

The rotund monk didn't take offense to these words and turned to leave the hall, loudly saying as he walked, "I'll be in Shangjing City for two more days, if you change your mind, come find me."

And then, as the monk's hefty figure reached the hall's entrance, he simply vanished.

Emperor Min stared at the spot where the rotund monk had disappeared, pressing his temple and gently caressing his aged face.

He could genuinely feel his life energy steadily draining away.

"Sigh~"

Emperor Xia Xuanmin let out a heavy sigh and muttered to himself, "Not having to act today means I can hold on for a bit longer. Only..."

His muttering paused as he remembered the scene he had witnessed earlier at the Observatory.

The terrifying Golden Thunderbolt and the soul-shaking surge of Spiritual Power had left a deep impression.

It turned out his dear granddaughter had a friend with such profound cultivation by her side.

Could it be because of this Taoist's presence that he was able to see Xia Yunzhao in the river of time, cultivating to the Tribulation Crossing Realm and even sitting securely on the imperial throne?

Emperor Xia Xuanmin harbored this speculation, but he dared not be certain.

And despite his playful banter with the Seventh Princess just a moment ago, deep down, he was still worried. A mysterious and powerful cultivator suddenly appearing by your relative's side, and your relative is but a child holding treasure with no capability for violence.

If it were you, wouldn't you be concerned?

Having lived for so many years, Emperor Xia Xuanmin had seen far too much deception and betrayal over power and interests.

Isn't the Xia family a prime example? Just during the daytime, his niece had someone kill her own uncle--a plot spearheaded by his grandfather, her uncle's own father.

Although there are many justifiable reasons for this, the essence remains the same.

Thus, Emperor Min decided to personally meet the young Taoist the next day, in the capacity of an elder.

Frankly speaking, seeing him or not made little difference. With the strength that the other party had shown, even if he discovered his intentions were impure, he definitely wouldn't be able to deal with him in his current state.

But... the rotund monk wasn't leaving for another two days.

He had already handed over the items, after all, so why not make use of this ready-made protection?

...

The next morning dawned bright and clear.

In the Great Xia Imperial City, Taiji Palace.

After much internal debate, Xia Yunzhao finally decided to visit Grandpa first, then go find the young Taoist.

Yet upon her arrival, she was informed by the guards that Emperor Min had gone out early in the morning.

He had left a message specifically for her that if the Seventh Princess came by, she should wait, or it would be fine to return in the evening.

Standing in front of the entrance to Taiji Palace, Xia Yunzhao pondered for three seconds before deciding not to wait and went to see Jin Xu.

As for Grandpa, she would come back in the evening.

...

In Shangjing City, outside a residence with three courtyards, is a street.

After yesterday's heavy rain, the street in front of the door had been cleansed, appearing completely refreshed. Underneath the wall of the courtyard, a crack had sprouted a few delicate daisies that morning, softly swaying in the breeze, so full of life.

And then... they were plucked out by a servant in charge of cleaning the walls.

The servant muttered to himself, "The rain really came down hard yesterday, even cracked the wall. I have to call a tiler to come fix this."

Meanwhile, a white-haired elder stood across from the residence's gate.

His mood was initially pleasant, smiling while he watched the daisies symbolizing rebirth. But in the blink of an eye, someone had plucked them away.

"..."

The elder's face grew dark as he walked towards the residence.

As the founding Emperor of Great Xia, finding out where a little Taoist lived was an easy task.

So early in the morning, he headed straight there.

Yes, this aged elder with white hair was none other than Xia Xuanmin. Overnight, his appearance had grown even more frail.

In a few strides, Emperor Xia Xuanmin reached the courtyard. For a cultivator in the Tribulation Crossing Realm, even one nearing the end of his life, entering a courtyard silently was a piece of cake.

However, upon entering, he was stopped in his tracks.

In the courtyard, a man, two women, and a chicken were neatly seated under the eaves, each in front of a watermelon. And in the middle of the courtyard, a person wrapped in bandages groped forward with arms outstretched—their feet not far from a geomantic fish pond.

"What's going on here?"

Even someone as worldly as Xia Xuanmin was baffled by the scene before him.

He hesitated for a few seconds, then, noticing the bandaged figure wobbling towards the fish pond, he quickly moved behind and grabbed the person.

But the bandaged figure protested, "Let go, didn't you hear? I don't need anyone serving me, unless you're giving me a maid to help!"

Xia Xuanmin: "????"

Kid, do you even know who you're talking to?

The figure swathed in bandages was none other than Xu Qian.

At yesterday's dinner table, after Little White and Age Chicken returned from the kitchen, they eagerly informed Xu Qian that the person serving his meal was a man. Then Xu Qian expressed a desire to switch to someone else. However, the servants in the house said that per the Seventh Princess's orders, considering his penchant for visiting brothels and listening to music, he could not be served by maids.

Emperor Xia was worried the maids in his residence might become tainted.

So, Xu Qian very stubbornly stated he would absolutely not allow a man to serve him, not even a young Taoist!

He could manage by himself, since someone in the Golden Core Realm could abstain from food!

Thus, such a miraculous scene appeared this morning.

In front of the fish pond, Xia Xuanmin recited to himself.

"Don't stoop to the level of the younger generation, these people are all friends of Zhaoer."

"Don't stoop to the level of the younger generation, these people are all friends of Zhaoer."

"Don't stoop to the level of the younger generation, these people are all friends of Zhaoer."

Then, he released his grip, suppressing the urge to give a little shove.

...

Under the eaves, Jin Xu and the others watched the elderly man who suddenly appeared in the courtyard.

The husky spoke first, "Sir, have you lost your way?" At the same time, he telepathically messaged the young Taoist, "Temple Master, I just sensed a trace of killing intent, but then it vanished instantly. I suspect this person has come to seek revenge on you for Prince Mu!"

Hearing the greeting, Xia Xuanmin turned around, took a look at the people under the eaves, then squeezed out what he thought was a genial smile, "Sir hasn't lost his way, I am here looking for a Taoist named Jin Xu. Also, I am not here for vengeance on behalf of Prince Mu."

Upon hearing this, Little White was shocked and telepathically messaged,

"Temple Master, Temple Master, he can hear my telepathy!"

Although Xia Xuanmin was injured, he was still in the Tribulation Crossing Realm; to him, Shiqi's telepathy was almost like shouting in his ear.

Upon hearing Little White's words, the young Taoist reluctantly spoke up, "Since you know he can hear you, why did you telepathically message just now?" He then stood up and addressed the old man, "Esteemed senior, I am Jin Xu. May I ask what business you have with me?"

When dealing with the elderly, the young Taoist was always very polite and respectful.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Min examined Jin Xu closely, with a gaze akin to a mother-in-law scrutinizing her son-in-law, making the young Taoist extremely uncomfortable.

"Esteemed senior?"

Jin Xu politely called out again.

"Oh, I am but a humble villager from the mountains, and I accidentally heard about the young Taoist's proficiency in the Divination Skill. I took the liberty of visiting today, so please forgive my unannounced intrusion."

Emperor Min thought, I'll just pick a random reason to talk to you, and through our conversation, I should be able to roughly figure out what kind of person you are.

So he picked the standard skill all Taoists supposedly possess—fortune-telling.

However, Jin Xu wasn't a traditional Taoist!

And Xuanxu Temple wasn't the sort that took in disciples, made them read Taoist scriptures, taught them skills, and only transmitted the Immortal Law once their character was deemed suitable!

So, after hearing Emperor Min's words, the young Taoist first paused, then his lips slightly parted, saying three words.

"I don't know."

"...Uh."

Emperor Min, the seasoned Cultivator with many years under his belt, may have a hardened heart, but he also had a thick skin. His expression unchanged, he continued speaking.

"Ah, it's due to old age, my memory isn't what it used to be. I remember now, they told me the young Taoist is skilled in Character Divination Skill."

"I don't know that either."

"Reading faces?"

"Even less so."

"Gold Separation and Positioning Skill?"

"Never heard of it."

"..."

Emperor Min listed several basic skills of Taoist Cultivators, then discovered this young Taoist knew none of them.

"Who is your master! Have him come out! Does he only teach his disciples cultivation and neglect to teach them the Hundred Skills of Immortal Cultivation?"

Emperor Min internally roared without a sound.

At this moment, the courtyard fell into utter silence.

Jin Xu calmly observed the elder before him, eager to hear what else the man could concoct.

Then...

The young Taoist heard a "plop."

At the other end, Xu Qian had finally managed, with great effort, to fall into the fish pond.

"..."

The sound of the splash broke the awkwardness.

After signaling two servants to pull Xu Qian out of the water,

The weary young Taoist then inquired of the elderly man with white hair before him, "Old sir, what exactly are you here for?"

Jin Xu could tell that there was no malice in the man before him, but the elder's peculiar behavior and words still left him puzzled.

As soon as he asked, the two women under the eaves and the servants who had retrieved Xu Qian all pricked up their ears curiously.

Gossip is in human nature, regardless of whether one is a Cultivator or a mortal.

"Cough, just pretend I got lost."

Emperor Min turned, intending to leave the courtyard before he could be recognized.

However, as he turned around, he saw his own granddaughter, Xia Yunzhao, standing at the doorway.

"Grandpa Emperor, what are you doing here!"